Multimedia

Narratives

Site Information

The Western Front Today - Lille Gate

Situated within Ypres, most
British troops entered (and left) the Ypres Salient through Lille Gate as
the Menin Gate was particularly exposed to enemy observation and therefore
fire.

The towers from Lille Gate
date back to 1395. Under the arch to the left is a doorway which once
led to a small museum (active between the wars) and, before that, to
luxurious dugouts (all of the ramparts around Ypres were riddled with
tunnels).

This particular one was used at one time as an HQ for the Canadian Tunnelling
Companies.

The
famous 'The Wipers (Ypres) Times' trench newspaper was initially produced in
1916 at Lille Gate.